Electrical components are attached to a circuit board or substrate and then electrically linked to form the desired electronics. The electronic assembly is generally encased or filled with a plastic molding compound to protect the electrical components. This “potting” process covers and fills the electronic assembly to protect the components, contacts, and connections from breakage, such as from shock or vibration, or from deterioration or electric malfunctions such as from moisture or corrosive agents. This process also allows components on the surface to be placed much closer to each other as they are captured and kept in position by the potting, this allows for a size reduction advantage.
Although there is substantial protection benefits to encasing the electrical components in this way, the electrical assembly may provide difficulties in the manufacturing process. For example, certain components may need to be covered or shielded to prevent interference to or from other components or the environment. These typically restrict or limit the potting processes to be fully realized and may substantially complicate manufacturing.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,610,573 discloses a radio frequency module and methods of transmitting and receiving data; the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. This patent discloses a transceiver assembly located on a printed circuit board. A ground plane is formed on the first surface and surrounds at least a substantial portion of the transceiver assembly. A radio frequency shield is electrically coupled to the ground plane and covers at least a substantial portion of the transceiver assembly. To obtain the benefits of the shield and ground plane, the shield and ground plane are shown as fully enclosing the electronic components of the transceiver assembly.